Rocks of the Ary-Bulak Ongonite Massif: Relationship between Geochemical Features, Mineral-Phase Assemblages, and Formation Processes

Abstract

The paper reports the study of geochemistry, mineral-phase assemblages of rocks of the Ary-Bulak ongonite massif, compositions of major, minor and accessory minerals (quartz, feldspars, topaz, zinnwaldite, prosopite, rare Ca–Al-fluorides, W-ixiolite, columbite, zircon, cassiterite, and fluocerite), fluoride–calcium (F–Ca) phase, and fluorite formed from it. The rock-forming minerals of porphyritic ongonites are quartz, albite and sanidine, and minor minerals are topaz and zinnwaldite. The ongonitic matrix is composed of a quartz–sanidine–albite assemblage with micron-sized needle-shaped topaz crystals. In transitional porphyritic rocks and in the endocontact aphyric zone, the interstices between matrix minerals are filled with a F–Ca phase formed from a F–Ca (fluoritic) stoichiometric melt. Fluoride–silicate liquid immiscibility in ongonitic magma and fluid-magmatic processes led to the redistribution of REE, Y, and many trace elements between melts, fluids, minerals and a contrasting change in mineral-phase assemblages in the rocks. This is associated with the appearance of M-type (T_{1 La–Nd}, T_{4 Er–Lu}) and W-type (T_{3 Gd–Ho}) tetrad effects in the chondrite-normalized REE patterns of rocks. Degassing of magmatic fluids through the endocontact aphyric zone was accompanied by the crystallization of Sr-bearing prosopite and hydrous Ca–Al-fluorides. Aphyric rocks, compared to porphyritic ongonites and porphyritic transitional rocks, are enriched in H₂O, Sr, Ba, Rb, Sn, W, Ta, Be, Zr, Hf, Sb, As, Sc, but contain less Li, Pb, Zn, Y and REE. During the effect of magmatic fluids on rocks enriched in Ca and F, especially in the endocontact aphyric zone, albite was partially or completely replaced by the F–Ca phase and kaolinite, and the F–Ca phase recrystallized into aggregates of micron-sized grains of stoichiometric fluorite without trace elements. Rb-Cs mica also crystallized in the rim of zinnwaldite laths, the zones of which maximally enriched in rubidium with the cation relation Rb > K > Cs may be a new mineral. The geochemistry of the rocks, the features of their mineral-phase assemblages, the compositional evolution of the minerals and the F–Ca phase are a consequence of the formation of the Ary-Bulak massif from ongonitic magma during a fluid-magmatic process complicated by fluoride–silicate liquid immiscibility with the participation of fluoritic and other fluoride melts, as well as magmatic fluids of P–Q and the first types.